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Monday, 22 May 2017

Saturday and Sunday 13th and 14th May

Busy chiffy (c) Bark

On Saturday morning at 5am nearly thirty people gathered in
the car park for what seems to have become our annual Dawn Chorus Walk. The
dawn itself was not as spectacular as in some previous years, the sky more the
colour of a mechanics rag than a blazing golden sunrise. However, the birds did
not disappoint us. The air was full of the sound of birds staking their claims
to territory, declaring their suitability as mates or simply just announcing
their presence. It is possible to hear all ten of our regular warbler species
within the confines of the Car-park Field and the Roman Road alone. We only
heard a brief spell of reeling from the Grasshopper Warblers and failed to hear
Willow warbler at all, but the rest were all in good voice.

Cuckoo (c) JR

Snipe were drumming all weekend especially when the weather
had improved as it did on Sunday. Cuckoos called and chased in groups of three
or four males chasing the single females and vying with each other for the
chance to mate with them.

Several Hobbies sat on posts across Greenaways waiting for
the morning warmth to encourage their insect prey to take to the wing. They are
always numerous on the reserve at around this time in late spring and are
frequently recorded in double figures. Eleven were reported hunting on Sunday
afternoon.

Turtle Dove feeding (c) Oz and purring (c) JR

One of at least two Turtle Doves called from the Roman road
area before relocating to the telegraph poles near the pump house and giving
excellent views.

As we made our leisurely way to the first screen we were
closely scrutinised scrutiny by a pair of Redshanks flying overhead and
shouting raucously, they clearly had youngsters on the ground nearby. On Sunday
morning, I managed to spot three of these extraordinary looking chicks. Their
legs appear to be far too long for their small fluffy bodies and it made me
wonder what a contortionist trick it must be, to confine them within an egg!
They appeared and disappeared amongst the sedges sometimes venturing along the
edges of the ditches to pick up their insect food.

Redshank and chick (c) Tom N-L

A summer plumaged male Ruff was found on Friday and was
thought to have flown off but was rediscovered on Saturday morning. It had been
seen displaying to Redshanks flaring up its spectacular feathers like some kind
of miniature peacock.

Summer Plumage Ruff (c) Stoneshank

Three Black-tailed Godwits have been out on the Big Otmoor
scrapes for most of the week and seem very settled. They look as if they are
first summer birds and as such are not going to breed this year. Every so often
it was possible to spot a Little Ringed Plover scuttling about amongst the
sedges and mud flats. There are several out there and they have been observed
mating but it seems to me unlikely that they might succeed in breeding given
the huge numbers of potential nest robbers out at the scrapes.

Two of the three Godwits (c) Bark

Elsewhere more and more birds are being seen either carrying
nest material or food supplies for early broods. A pair of Mute Swans were on
the path to the second screen drying their cygnets out in the morning sunshine,
the cygnets looking especially cute and scruffy. I wonder how many of them will
make it through to maturity.

Swan Family (c) JR

Terry Sherlock was lucky enough to see a Weasel relocating all her offspring from one den to another close to the cattle pens as can be seen no mean feat!